Perry to ‘Time’: ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing’

Gov. Rick Perry, in an interview with Mark Halperin published on Time’s website, said the issue of whether he would run for president was dealt with 45 days ago and added, “I’m very calm in my heart that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

Gov. Rick Perry. (rickperry.org)

Perry told Halperin that his decision of whether or not he would run had been decided 45 days ago:

So you went from a few months ago, being totally uninterested…
No, I got the best job in America, to today, being fully engaged in this process of making a decision. The issue of, “is this what I want to do?” was dealt with about 45 days ago in a conversation with my wife. Prior to that, no. Being the President of the United States was not on my radar screen from the standpoint of something I want to do.

Perry mentions that he and his wife, Anita, have been discussing the potential for a presidential run for quite some time now and that the presidency doesn’t intimidate him in the slightest.

When asked if he’s excited about the run, he replied:

Yeah, I’m kind of getting to the haul-in point and the idea that, this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I mean, this is starting to get to that comfort level and I’ve got the calmness in my heart. I think that was a bit of a hurdle initially but I’m very calm in my heart that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

Politico reported earlier this week that Perry would make an announcement regarding the presidency Saturday, and CNN agreed, saying they got the information from “a Republican familiar with the plans.”

A Perry spokesman also confirmed Thursday that Perry will announce his run on Saturday.

The Associated Press says Perry will cross paths with presidential candidate Michele Bachmann in Bachmann’s home state of Iowa on Sunday.